peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thicknessin normal iranian children measured with opticalcoherence tomography

Purpose: this study aimed to measure the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (rnfl) thickness using spectral‑domain optical coherence tomography (sd‑oct) in normal iranian children aged below 18 years. methods: peripapillary rnfl imaging was performed in the right eye of normal iranian children aged below 18 years using spectralis sd‑oct (heidelberg engineering; vista, ca). the effects of age, gender, cup‑to‑disc ratio, and spherical equivalent (se) on global and sectoral rnfl thicknesses were evaluated. results: a total of 115 eyes were imaged. approximately 51 (44.3%) of the cases were female children. the mean age was 12.44 ± 2.52 years. the se of refractive error was 0.39 ± 1.38 diopters (range: −3.00 to +4.5 d). the rnfl thickness measurements in the superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal quadrants were 129.25 ± 14.52, 128.16 ± 13.46, 76.76 ± 10.58, and 69.58 ± 9.94 µm, respectively. the global rnfl thickness was 101.01 ± 7.74 µm. in both univariate and multiple regression analyses, se was the only determinant of rnfl thickness (all p values < 0.05). conclusion: oct analysis can effectively measure rnfl thickness in children, and se is the only determinant of rnfl thickness in normal iranian patients aged below 18 years.